Author: SgtGrit

91 And Doing Quite Well

I met a 90 year old Marine vet who landed on Tarawa on the 2nd day, and after a short time he was hit and spent 11 months in the hospital. I really hit it off with him and his wife. I have been a scale model builder all my life. I made a diorama of an LVT landing on a beach with about 12 Marines around it. I built a base, painted it and my wife poured sand in there in layers spraying glue as she went to keep it down. I have attached 4 pictures of it. Do you think the guys that read the newsletter would find it interesting? Dave, the Marine is now 91 by the way and doing quite well. The story is about him and not my crazy model that I built with the help of my drill instructor (my wife that is). read more

Out Of The Depths

Like so many stories surrounding World War II where fact is stranger than fiction, "Out of the Depths" is a terrifying firsthand account of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Navy cover-up that led to the bizarre court-martial and eventual exoneration of its Captain. Marine survivor Edgar Harrell vividly describes the horrors of being plagued by sharks, hypothermia, severe dehydration and salt-water hallucinations, and the crew's heart wrenching struggle to survive the greatest catastrophe at sea in the history of the U.S. Navy – a truly riveting story of survival, political intrigue and faith in the providence of God. read more

Bring It On

Attached is a picture of me and my hometown buddy Bill on leave from boot camp. We are wearing the winter uniform in 1960, dress greens, with the old style overcoat we called the horse blanket, the green silk scarves and our barracks covers. We were proud and un-afraid to show that we were Marines. But in today's world, Marines are ordered not to wear their uniforms in public for fear they may be targeted. Isn't being targeted by our enemies the whole point of joining the Marines? By not wearing the uniform we concede defeat to the cowards and scumbags of the world who only attack those who can't defend themselves. I think I can safely speak for my fellow Marines when I say "bring it on" to these scumbags. Let Marines wear their uniform in public as a sign that we are still proud and un-afraid, but also give them the ability to defend themselves with the right and duty to carry a weapon just as they do when in a war zone. The war zone is here now. read more

Pith Helmets Continued

I was reading an entry from Sgt. (E4) T. W. Stewart, USMC 1952 – 1955 on the past wearing of Pith Helmets.

I was stationed at "C" Co. NAS Agana, Guam for 18 months between 1966 and 1968. Our regulation uniform was khakis, blouse and trousers, and regulation cover was a Pith Helmet. I still have mine with the large, black EGA still screwed on to the front of it. read more

Tattooed Marines

Skin color does not determine the level of professionalism of a Marine; so why are visible tattoos judged so poorly? The answer lies within he or she who casts such judgement. It is all based on personal bias. Those who posses such negativity towards tattoos, who at some point – rise to a level of power, begin to implement policy against body art. Of course there was never anything wrong with the original tattoo policy that was in place at the time…the wheel just had to be reinvented I guess. read more

One Million Steps

If you are wondering, as I was, what's it like fighting in Afghanistan then I recommend reading "One Million Steps" by Bing West. I was brought to tears at the senseless loss of life and then so angry I wanted to re-enlist, grab my 9 and waste every Rag Head Taliban I could locate. I was equally angered at the total lack of leadership and direction by the entire chain of command. I'm not voting for anyone running for President who hasn't read this book for perspective on the Middle East. read more